Mani Ratnam is into extensive pre-production work for his dream movie adaptation of Kalki's classic novel 'Ponniyin Selvan'. So far Vikram, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Karthi, Jayam Ravi, Keerthy Suresh, Jayaram, Parthiban, Amala Paul and Aishwerya Lakshmi are on board playing the main characters. Mani Ratnam's usual collaborators A.R. Rahman and Vairamuthu are also part of this ambitious epic.

The recent development on the 'Ponniyin Selvan' front is that legendary Art Director and Production Designer Thotta Tharani is reuniting with Mani Ratnam after a gap. The duo has collaborated on many memorable movies including 'Nayakan' and 'Thalapathy' for which Tharani received the National and Tamil Nadu State Awards respectively. The historical movie will be shot on several period sets and what more a fan can ask with these two legends working on it. More updates on 'Ponniyin Selvan' to follow.